Automatic hitching mechanism for vehicles.



S. M. WIXOEL.

AUTOMATIC HITGHING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED IBB.12,1912.

1,073,650. Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-B BET 1.

S. M. WIXCEL.

AUTOMATIC HITCHING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIGATION FILED rnrmz, 1912.

1,073,650, Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

which may be readily nrnur omuon SAMUEL M. 'WIXCEL, (FF MARCUS, HOW-A.

AUTOMATIC HIII'GHING- MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

' Specification of.I.ett ers 2mm. Application flled.February 12, !912.Serial No.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913. 676,987.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. Wrxonn,

a citizen of the United States, residin at Marcus, in the county ofCherokee and tabs of Iowa, have invented certain new and use- 1Improvements in Automatic Hitching Mechanlsms for Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a-specification.

is invention relates to improvements in automatic hitching mechanisms,and refers more particularl of which a trai er to a mechanism by meansvehicle may be hitched onto a leading vehicle, as for example a hay lloader onto a hay wa on.

Among the salient o jects of the invention are to rovide a sim lemechanism whereby a coup ing may be e vertical section) ected readilyand conveniently Without regard to the particular angle at which .atrailer vehicle stands with reference to a leading vehicle; to providein such a mechanism means whereby the connecting link or coupling barautomatically I becomes locked in as soon as the two vehicles have oncebeen centrally alined position drawn into .alinement' with each other,so}

that the point of vehicles is transferredto a point sufliciently in rearof the hind wheels of the leading flexing between the two;

vehicle to prevent interference between the wheels of the two vehicles;to providemechanism of the general and easily unlocked through theaction-of a tri cord leading to a remote point, for exampl d to the topof a load of hay; to provide a mechanism the parts of which are soconstructed and designed as to be cheaply and efliciently made fromstructural metal and castings; to provide a mechanism so organized thatthe mere placing of the eve of the coupling bar over a stud initiates te-coupling action and' the remainder of such action is performedautomatically when theleadi vehicle exerts a draft upon the trailingvehicle, thus enabling the driver toperform this initial couplingaction, then mount the leading vehicle, drive ahead and pay no furtherattention to the matter of coupling the vehicles together;

Figure l is a view partly in side elevation and partly ,in verticalsection of the rear,

part of a farm wagon and the front wheel portions of a hayloader; theseparts connected by the mechanism of the present invention; Fig. 2 is afragmentary plan view of the coupling mechanism connected to arts of therespective vehicles shown in 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevationsthe axle andbolster of the wagon being s 1own in of the principal. parts of thehitching mechanism; these parts being shown as about to 'be initiallyhitched together; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail in bottom plan of theforward end of that part of the coupling mechanism which is perma nentlyattached to the trailer vehicle; .Fig. 5 is a view partly inlongitudinal vertical section and partly ,in side elevation of theswivelin member in which the couplin bar is slidalfiy mounted; Fig. 6 isa sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 5 taken aproximately on theline 6-6 of Fig. 5 and ooking in the direction ofthe arrows; Figs. 7 and8 are top andbottom plan views, respectively, of the'latch mechanism, ofwhich 1 the draft stud forms a part; Fig. 9 is a seccharacter describedtional view of the same mechanism taken on line,9-9 of Fig. 7 andlooking in the direction of thearrows.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole a V-shaped framesecured to any suitable cross-bar, ,axle or the like of a trailervehicle, b means of suitable pivot bolts, asindicate at 2, 2, so thatthe frame may rise and fall vertically as to its free end. The forwardend of this frame is formed by a casting 3 to which the divergent sideframe members are rigidly and permanently bolted, as shown clearly inFigs. 2 and 4. Upon the castin 3 is mounted, so as to have swiveling andslightly tilting movement, .a socket member 4. To this end the socketmember is provided at its front end with a downwardly extendinghook-bolt or stud 5 which enters a suitable aperture 6 in the casting 3;the aperture 6 takin the form of a slot, so that the parts may bereadily assembled by hooking-them together. In the upper side of thecasting 3 at the center of the rear edge thereof is formeda groove 7(see Fig. 6) and the under side of the socket member 4 (see Fig. 3) isprovided with a rear end is uplifted, as shown in Fig. 3. clearly inFig. 7, and -t-his spring is con- The coupling bar 9 is mounted to slideveniently made integral with the spring 1?.

endwise throughthe socket .casting at and One end of the spring 28is'extended radiis provided with a cross-pin or key 10 which ally andengages a suitable lug 29' on the limits the extent to which it may bedrawn arm 25. forwardly through'the socket. A series of With the partsthus constructed, the opkey'openings 11 is provided so that theoperation of the device is as follows: Assume erative length of thecoupling-bar may be that the hay-wagon is driven in front of the varied.The forward end of the coupling hayloader so that the two vehicles bearthe bar is formed with an eye 12 adapted to angular relation to eachother indicated in hook easily over a draft-stud or pin forming Fig. 2.The coupling-bar, when disengaged a part of the latch mechanism now tobe defrom the preceding load, was left in straight scribed. alinementwith the trailer vehicle, as indi- 13 designates as a whole a suitablecasting dated in the dotted lines in said Fig. 2. The

or frame member, best shown in Figs. 7 driver picksup the frame 1 by oneof its and 8, and the forward end of which is fixside bars, and theweight on the forward end edly bolted to a part of the wagon reach 14:of the coupling bar automatically tilts the which extends in. rear ofthe axle (see Figs. latter-downwardly so as to disengage the rib 2 and3). The rear end of the member 13 and groove 7, 8 (see Fig. 3),whereupon the is divided fork-fashion, and between the two driver swingsthe coupling-bar around into arms thereof is pivotally mounted a rockingalinement with the latch mechanism, slides block in which is rigidlyseated (or it may the coupling-bar endwise in one direction or beintegrally formed therewith) a draft the other, as required, and dropsthe eye of stud 0r pin 16. A coiled spring 17 wrapped the bar over thedraft-pin. He then mounts around the pivot bolt 18 has one of its endsthe leading vehicle and drives off. The

gt novaeeo is attached and extended forwardly, as shown in Fig. 3- Therocking dog is automatically returned'to itsnormal locking position by asecond coiled spring 28 wrappe around a part of the bolt 19, as showncorresponding rib or fin 8 adapted to engage the groove 7 and lock theseparts in rigid alinement with each other when the rear end of the socketis depressed, but to permit the socket to swivel on its hook-boltwhenits brings the two vehicles into alinement before he has proceeded far;and as soon as they reach alinement the first time the combined weightof the rear end arranged to bear against a fixed part of the draftobviously member 13, for example, another cross pin 19, and its otherend engaged with a recess in the block 15, as indicated at 20 (Fig. 9)the spring being so tensioned as to tend to rotate the block 15incounter clockwise direction to hold the draft-stud in upright position,and in a direction opposite to that in which it would be movedby anormal draft thereon. That part of the spring 17 which extends to andengages the bolt 19 forms a convenient stop and limits the swing of theblock under the action of the spring 17; the block being recessed, asindicated at 21, Fig. 8, to properly engage the spring for this purpose.e

To positively lock the rocker block against oscillation under the draftof the coupling bar engaged with its pin 16, a rocking dog 22 is mountedon the cross pin 19 and is provided with an angular shoulder 23 whichengages a corresponding rabbet 2 1 in the front lower corner of theblock 15. When this shoulder engages in the rabbet, block 15 can not berotated in clockwise direction, and when the coupling bar 9 engages withthe draft pin 16 the one vehicle will bedrawn by the other. When it isdesired to uncouple the trailing vehicle, the block 15 may be releasedby swinging the rear part of the dog downwardly to release shoulder 23from the lower edge of the block, and to accomplish this movement saiddog is provided with an extension or arm 25 terminating in an eye "26 towhich a trip-cord 27 frame 1 cause the rib and groove to interengage andremain interlocked, thus holding the two main parts of the hitchmechanism locked in alinement. Whatever flexing is necessary betweenafter takes place by the eye of the couplingbar pivoting onthe-draft-pin.

The trip-cord 27 is ordinarily carried underneath the running gear ofthe wagon to the front ladder or upright of the latter at a point wherethe driver can get hold of it 1 after the wagon has been loaded. Afterthe wagon has been loaded, and the driver is from the hayloader bysimply pulling on the trip-cord while the two vehicles are still moving.The pull on the trip-cord rocks the locking dog to release thedraft-pin, and the draft on the rearwardly so that the coupling-barslips off. Instantly when the coupling-bar slips off the springthrowsthe draft-pin back to its upright position, so that when thedriver ceases pulling on dog returns and normal position.

It is obvious that modifications of the mechanism may be made and thatits apphcation to other uses may be made without 1 looks the mechanismin its of the coupling-bar and the front end of the 10( the two vehiclesthere- 10;

the front of the hayrack and attached to 11 ready to proceed to thebarn, he cuts loose 1] latter immediately tilts it 1 the draft-cord thelocking 1 departing from the invention and without evading the appendedclaims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a leading vehicle and a trailer vehicle, ahitching mechanism comprising a frame having one end pivotally connectedwith one of the vehicles whereby the frame is free to rise and fall on ahorizontal axis and is held against lateral oscillation, a socketedguide member pivotally mounted upon said frame, interlocking means uponthe frame and socket member whereby the latter may be held againstpivotal movement when brought to a definite position, a coupling barslidably mounted in said socketed guide member, a latch mechanismmounted upon the other vehicle and comprising an oscillatory block, anstanding draft-stud upon the block, normally returning the block tooperative position, a locking dog for holding the block positively inoperative position, and a tripcord operatively connected with saidlooking dog and extending to a distance therefrom.

2. In a hitching mechanism, the combination of a frame member adapted tobe pivotally connected at one end with one vehicle, a socket guidepivotally mounted upon the opposite end of said frame by meansafi'ording lateral swiveling movement upon the a spring frame andlimited oscillatory movement in a direction at right angles to the planeof swiveling movement, a locking rib on the meeting face of one of saidmembers and a cooperating groove on the meeting-face of the other memberwhereby the two may be locked against swiveling movement relatively toeach other, a coupling bar mountedto slide endwise member and providedat one end with an eye, and a latching mechanism adapted to be mountedupon another vehicle and comprising a main frame, a draft-block movablymounted thereon, a draft-stud on said draft-block adapted to cooperatewith the eye of the coupling-bar, a spring acting upon the draft-blockto return it normally to 0perative position, a lockin dog movablymounted and adapted to ock said draftblock positively in operativeposition, an operating arm or extension llpOIl said locking in saidsocket guide,

dog, a trip-cord connected with said arm and extending thence to adistance, and a spring acting upon the locking dog to return the latterto normal locking position.

3. In combination with a vehicle, a support secured to the vehicle, aguide frame on said support and adapted for vertical and lateraloscillation thereon, a draft link supported in said guide frame,interlockin mechanism for locking said frame to said support to preventlateral oscillation of said frame, said interlock being broken uponvertical oscillation of said frame, whereby said frame may then beoscillated laterally.

l. In combination with a vehicle, a draft frame pivoted to the frontaxle of said vehicle, a supporting plate secured to the free end of saiddraft frame, a block pivoted to said plate and adapted to oscillatevertically and laterally with reference to said plate, a draft barsupported by and extending from said block, interlocking mechanism forlocking said block to said plate and against lateral oscillation whensaid draft bar and draft frame are substantially parallel, saidinterlock being broken when said draft bar and draft frame are swungrelatively vertically whereby said block and supported draft bar maythen be swung laterall 5 In combinationwith a vehicle, a draft frameivoted to the vehicle front axle and extending forwardly therefrom, asupporting plate secured to the free end of said draft frame, a blockpivoted at its outer end to said plate to swing vertically or laterallywith reference to the plate, a draft bar su ported by and extending fromsaid bloc tongue and groove interlocking mechanism at the rear ends ofsaid plate and block for locking said block to the plate against lateralswing when said block is oscillated vertically against the plate, saidinterlock being broken when said block is swung vertically to disconnectits rear end from said plate whereby said block and draft bar are thenfree to be swung laterally.

HARRY Z.-FREEMAN, FLOYD S. BARNES.

